Review: On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft

On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book has become my writing bible the first instance I read it.

"If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot."


Stephen King is no stranger to the publishing world. I have not come across anyone who does not know Stephen King or any of his works so I rather not have his Wikipedia page summarised here. I shamefully admit that I've only read two of his books (among 30+ novels published) - Carrie and Misery. My excuse was that I was too afraid to read them. But since reading this memoir, my interest on his works grows.

This is an excellent book on guidance to write. I personally find it extremely helpful. Stephen King shared insights on his working process and anecdotes on his journey to become a successful writer. In this book, you would find some dos and don'ts - tips on writing. King's take on non-fiction writings was a joy to read, especially alongside his natural wits.

On Writing is incredibly insightful and a must-read for any writers.

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Review: Women Who Think Too Much: How To Break Free Of Overthinking And Reclaim Your Life

Women Who Think Too Much: How To Break Free Of Overthinking And Reclaim Your Life by Susan Nolen-Hoeksema
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ignoring the overly sexist title, the tips provided by this book were pretty insightful. I hardly ever read any self-help books but I picked this up because of the problem I'm facing myself. It's embarrassing to admit but I think it's more important to find out the problem and face it than lying to yourself. Well, I could get a little over-sensitive sometimes and I prone to overthink (says in the title).

Coming back to the book, it wasn't an overly theory-fied book. The author provided stories along with her theories to make it more applicable and readable. I like that the author wrote would jot down her points in chart form at the end of the section, making refer-back more easier.

Well, since it's a self-help book, it wouldn't help if you didn't follow the guides or tips given. I would say some of the tips given were already tried by myself before I even found out this book. It's pretty legit. :)

Guess, this is not really a recommendation unless you're facing this problem or just wanting to expand your knowledge regarding "overthinking".

Summer

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The Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth

original post

p.s I’ve writing this in the midst of a flu. Pardon me on any mistake. 

- SYNOPSIS LINK -

Yes, my first review on a non-fiction book. I rarely read non-fiction asides from studies-related ones. 

I actually heard of this book from littlebookowl on her booktube channel. (unintentional advertisement, I would say giving credits.)

Back to the book. This is an interesting, mind-blowing book. It’s about English writing style. The author discussed about various writing style, such as hyperbole, personification, assonance and more. (stating those more obvious ones) He talked about how those very simple (not obvious) tones in writing, yet they amplified the whole sentence. 

He stated that Shakespeare isn’t a genius but he played with words and techniques. He shared thoughts on Shakespeare’s and many different poems and even song lyrics (The Beatles & Katy Perry). He wrote about how these styles of writings enhanced the writer’s works. 

Transferred Epithets: when an adjective is applied to the wrong noun. i.e “The man smoked a nervous cigarette.”

Transferred Epithets is my personal favourite. I love how the words played around. Instead of saying ‘the nervous man’, you say ‘a nervous cigarette’. & clearly, the latter gave more impact on the reader. 

What I found most interesting about this book is that the author wrote it in a simple, easy-to-understand way. I can assure you that if those techniques were to be written in a textbook, it would be difficult to decipher. He did also wrote in a humorous style, a little critiques. 

Overall, a 5-stars book. It’s easy to read and I learnt a lot from it. 

Helpful, interesting & magical,

Summer

To Get this book: The Elements of Eloquence